secondary quality
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of secondary quality
First recorded in 1690–1700
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The goods displayed in the windows are of a secondary quality, at best; and the people who throng the pavements are people who want second-rate articles.
From The International Monthly, Volume 4, No. 1, August, 1851 by Various
"Likeness is quite a secondary quality," said Aurelle condescendingly.
From General Bramble by Maurois, André
Color is a secondary quality, therefore less important than form.
From Modern Painters Volume I (of V) by Ruskin, John
Color is a secondary quality, therefore less important than form.
From Modern Painters Volume I (of V) by Ruskin, John
Color is a case of the former, a "secondary quality"; and extension a case of the latter, a "primary quality."
From The Approach to Philosophy by Perry, Ralph Barton
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
